In Bordeaux, France’s wine country in the west, the thermometer hit 107.4 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, June 22. Poitiers, in central France, reached 106.1 degrees Fahrenheit and broke a record that had stood since 1947. Reuters reported that multiple records fell that day in several European cities.
Britain, Italy and Spain were baking too, with records broken across those regions.
Deaths in the water
The toll so far is grim. Reuters reported at least 40 drowning deaths among people who went into cooler water to escape the heat. Five more weather-related deaths have been reported: two children, aged 2 and 4, left in a hot vehicle, and three elderly people, aged between 80 and 85, who suffered health complications from the heat.
Across France, people have been jumping into canals and rivers. Officials want them to stop doing it just anywhere. “Swim only in places that are supervised,” said Jerome Boulanger, a spokesperson for the French Civil Safety service. French sports minister Marina Ferrari also warned against swimming in unauthorized or potentially dangerous spots. In Paris, parts of the Canal Saint-Martin, less than a mile east of the Eiffel Tower, were opened for swimming, AccuWeather said.
Landmarks adjust
The Eiffel Tower closed early. Its website, on June 23, said: “Due to the high temperatures forecast, the Eiffel Tower will be adjusting its operations.” Visitors without tickets were asked to postpone, and water fountains were available on the walkways leading to the plaza. The Louvre and the Paris Catacombs stayed open.
Athens offers a precedent. The Acropolis shut from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time in both 2025 and 2024 because of extreme heat, the Associated Press and the Independent reported.
Why it keeps building
Reuters attributes the heat to an Omega block, named for a bulge of hot air with cooler air on either side, a shape resembling the Greek letter. That configuration lets temperatures build day after day. The U.S. National Integrated Heat Health Information System describes a heat dome as an exceptionally hot air mass that forms when high pressure aloft stops warm air below from rising.
Climate change adds to it, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which says rising average temperatures raise the risk of extreme heat and record-breaking temperatures. The World Meteorological Organization says Europe is warming at more than twice the global average and is more likely to see prolonged heat episodes.
The U.S. National Weather Service advises anyone in extreme heat not to leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles, to wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing outdoors, and to keep strenuous activity to early morning or evening.
